Worst Thing I've Been Cursed With
by Cwarnic93
Summary: As far as she is concerned, the Moirai don't control her fate. She isn't some puppet and they don't pull her strings. She controls her own destiny... Oh how wrong she is. Percy/OC. A new twist on an old tale of love.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**_  
_

* * *

_October, 1992_

In the dead of night, a group consisting of five or so women trudged through a cluster of trees, each avoiding the low branches that threatened to easily mark the skin. The leader of the group, a woman with youthful looks and a hard expression, froze when a twig snapped behind them. In an instant, the woman went from unarmed to holding a bow with an arrow pulled back and ready to launch. Her cold black eyes scanned the forest for any sign of life that wasn't animal.

"I am no danger to you," A man announced as he stepped onto the small clearing that the group had wandered into. "You should know this already." He flashed his pearly white teeth toward the woman and scanned the group behind her with his golden colored eyes. She let out a frustrated huff while lowering her weapon, knowing that this man was no longer a threat. Waiting for her heartbeat to slow, she nodded for the group to disperse and find something to make shelter with.

"You only visit to either torment me or tell me of a great importance… What is it now, brother?" The woman's voice was as cold as her piercing eyes. The man ran a hand through his flaxen hair, while the grin never left his face, and pointed further out toward the forest.

Light reflected from the moon onto the siblings, showing the golden tan features of the man and the pale, nearly translucent, features of the woman. While the man had golden features and everything that represented light, his sister was the opposite and represented the night. His eyes golden, her eyes black. His skin tan, hers pale. He had blonde hair, her brunette – nearly black.

"I see you've cut your hair," the man told her as he touched the hair that now stopped short just below her ears.

"What do you _want_, Apollo?" She asked with a slightly irked expression, her demeanor changing not even the slightest despite the presence of her twin.

"I've spoken with the Moirai… Clotho has told me of some dire news." The man, now known as Apollo, spoke quickly. His eyes drifted off to the trees before he spoke again, "There is a child."

"A child?" Artemis asked, her eyebrow rising at the tone Apollo was using. "I see no reason whatsoever for you to tell me of a _child-_"

"She's not a mortal," Apollo interjected before he turned to look at his sister once more. "This child has been abandoned by both of her parents. She needs a home, she needs _you_." Apollo cleared his throat and straightened his shirt out, brushing the nonexistent dirt from the hem. "She was born not even three weeks ago and has already been abandoned."

"Can't you find her parents and take her back?" Artemis asked, not completely thrilled of the idea of her having a newborn child.

"We know not of who her parents are… Just that she isn't completely mortal." He wasn't going to beg, both twins knew this, but Apollo knew that Artemis would do what was right. "You will find her nearby here tonight. Please, Artemis, do this for me… Do this for the girl's future." Apollo popped out in a flash of bright light, leaving Artemis alone in the dark night.

**Later That Night**

Artemis sit awake while the rest of her huntresses lay asleep, each of their respective minds dreaming of happier times. The orange reflection of the fire danced across Artemis's skin as the real flames moved in a similar fashion in the night. A small shriek echoed through the trees and Artemis was off, following the echoes to the source.

A small infant lay in a burgundy blanket on a pile of leaves, moving her tiny fists in fear as she wailed and cried. Artemis lifted the child slowly as she was unsure of how to hold her. The baby's crying ceased when Artemis ran her hand through the small amount of hair atop the baby's head. The hair was dark, nearly charcoal in color, and looked odd against both the pale skin of Artemis's hand and the baby's head.

Hundreds of emotions flooded through Artemis as she held the baby, consisting of fear, anger, sadness, pity, and… happiness. Fear of what would happen, anger against the parents who left this child in the middle of the forest, sadness and pity for the sake of the baby and her true parentage, and happiness because of the protective instincts that started to kick in.

"They would never have me take you if it wasn't for the sake of your safety…" Artemis whispered to the baby whose eyelids started to lift. Artemis was met by the dark shade of brown that nearly every baby was born with. "I will make you strong; I will make you like me," Artemis allowed the baby to take her pinky. "You'll be a great huntress one day."

* * *

_**Disclaimer** I do not own any of the original characters from Percy Jackson, nor do I own any of the Greek Gods/Goddesses. | I did, however, give Artemis and Apollo their appearances, as well as the original character I've added.__  
_

_Before I finish this, there are a few things I want to go over. 1) I am **not **following the books, as I haven't read them. Think of this as an AU story with some [but not all] of the book/movie's features. 2)I'm a Greek Mythology fanatic, so I can guarantee that most of the things I write will be based upon the original Mythology._

_If you see anything you're unfamiliar with that is mentioned in each chapter, just ask. (:  
_

_-Cwarnic93  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 1**

* * *

_Early September, 2009_

A teenage girl fled through a large cluster of trees, her bare feet carrying her across the mud. Rain had just started to sprinkle down past the trees and onto the ground. The girl ran in a worn gray tank top and black cargo shorts that were starting to fade and rip. Small cuts covered her shoulders, having been caused by the low branches that caught her as she ran. A heavy blade stayed in hand as she continued, the weight feeling unnatural to her as she went. This wasn't her weapon of choice but, having just recently started training with actual weapons, she had to start somewhere. Her hand clenched tightly around the hilt, causing her knuckles to grow white.

Heavy footfalls came from the side, causing her to stop and go into a low crouch. A large beast appeared from the tree line, forcing her jaw to go slack as she watched it move like a predator hunting its prey. This hadn't been what she was training for… was it?

The girl's large brown eyes followed the beast while she slunk back into the bushes. Dark circles underneath of her eyes showed that she hadn't been getting much sleep, which she claimed was due to her training. Her large, pale pink lips moved to make an 'O' shape before she made a call to the trees. Birds flew past the beast and temporarily distracted him.

Her thick brown hair fell in knotted waves and soaked up some of the rain as it fell onto her. She closed her eyes and silently prayed to whoever was listening. When she opened her eyes, she clenched the blade tightly and made a run for the creature.

She took a leap and, after landing upon its back, found herself lifting the blade high. The blade pressed through its bodily easily, making it howl in anger and pain. It stood taller and knocked the girl to the ground. Her eyes grew wide as she lay in fear.

The tip of the blade protruded from its chest, about five inches off from where its heart should be. The beast lifted its arm, ready to strike, when an arrow rushed through the trees – easily finding its target: the beast's heart.

Artemis came from the trees, her face and hair moist with rain, with her bow at hand. She reached her hand out for the girl to take. The girl grabbed Artemis's hand and stood, brushing the muck from the back of her pants.

"What was that?" The girl asked, her voice light and disbelieving.

Artemis nudged her head toward the direction of camp, "That is one of the many beasts that we have been training you to fight against."

"How am I supposed to fight it?" The girl asked as she pulled the blade from the beast's dead carcass. She allowed the beast's blood to drip from the blade's tip while she followed Artemis back to camp.

"You aren't… Not yet," Artemis stated while she sat her bow on a makeshift table.

"I've been training for the past four years! How much longer could it possibly take?" Artemis glanced from a nearby huntress, who was watching intently, to the angered girl in front of her. "What else could I possibly need?"

"You're not ready, Rome." Artemis spoke in a low voice before she sighed, hesitating before turning back to her bow. She lifted the bow, ran her hand along the string, and saw Rome's thick eyebrows rise. Rome knew that Artemis would only look away if she was hiding something.

"I'm not _ready_?" Rome hissed, not fearing the consequences of yelling at the goddess in front of her. She dropped her blade to the ground and proceeded to cross her arms.

"Remember that camp we talked about?" Artemis started, turning back to look at Rome. "Camp Half-Blood."

"Are you really considering shipping me off to some camp for demi-gods?" Rome asked, growing angry. It wasn't that Rome had anything against the camp, not that she'd admit anyway, she just didn't enjoy the idea of Artemis pushing her off to some camp. Over the years, Rome had grown some abandonment issues.

"Apollo did say that I was to be the one who raised you, but I think it would benefit you greatly. You could learn which weapon you're meant to handle, even find out about your true parentage." Artemis slid in, glancing at the girl from below her long lashes.

"What if I don't want to know about my parents? I'm sure they would be fine without me. After all, they're the ones who abandoned me." The seventeen year old was being stubborn, much like the woman who raised her.

'_Please go, my dear.' _A man's voice insisted in her head, causing her to inhale sharply through her nose. Rome never questioned who the voice belonged to, but she knew that they would never steer her wrong. Around the time Rome turned fourteen and started training, the voice was always there to aid whilst fighting.

"If I go," Rome started, causing Artemis's lips to slightly curl upward, "Will you and the others promise to visit me?" Artemis nodded and, for the first time in five years, Rome moved forward and wrapped her arms around the elder woman's waist.

"You have to promise me something, Rome." Artemis said quietly, glancing up at the sky every so often.

"Anything," Rome answered in a low whisper.

"Stay out of trouble."

Rome merely laughed in response, "I can try, but I guarantee nothing." Thunder echoed from above, causing both Artemis and Rome to look to the sky. Rome had a reputation around the huntresses: that being that trouble would always seem find her.

"Fair enough, at least I tried." Artemis shrugged before grabbing her bow. "Want to help me catch dinner?"

"Thought you'd never ask," Rome grinned as she cracked her knuckles and followed Artemis back into the forest.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Within the first few moments that Artemis had stepped onto the grounds of Camp Half-Blood, a flow of constant whispers started. Artemis, seemingly unarmed, led her young huntress through the camp grounds. Rome, much like Artemis, held her head high as she followed Artemis. Figuring that she'd see the camp later on, Rome avoided making direct eye contact with anyone or anything.

Rome's eyes went from interest to shock when a centaur walked up to them. Being in a forest for the first seventeen years of her life didn't help with this kind of stuff. As she stood there staring at him, she pondered on how he was created. The man's kind brown eyes looked from the young girl in front of him to the goddess standing aside her.

"May I be of assistance, Artemis?" His voice sounded like that of someone who would narrate a book. Artemis nodded in response while Rome was in awe staring at his height.

"Where is Dionysus?" Artemis asked before she narrowed her eyes, wondering why he hadn't originally been the one to meet her.

"Why are you here, Artemis?" A gruff voice asked from behind Artemis. She and Rome turned to be met with condescending purple eyes.

"This is Rome," Artemis nudged her head in the direction of the young huntress. "We believe that she's a demigod."

"Welcome, Rome." The centaur gave her a genuine smile while she attempted one back. "I am Chiron, and this is-"

"_Rome_?" The man with the purple eyes, Dionysus, spat in disgust. "You named her _Rome_?" Both Chiron and Artemis gave Dionysus a warning glance.

"It's a nickname," Rome growled out, clenching her teeth in anger. Rome wasn't too fond of her actual name; therefore, she refused to use it.

"She doesn't know who her parents are," Artemis began, clearing her throat due to the silence that Dionysus had created. "She need not be trained as a huntress, but as a demigod; hence why I've brought her here."

"Then she is welcome." Chiron spoke up and Rome smiled at him gratefully.

"She will be staying in my cabin," Artemis added.

"Remember the deal, Artie? Your cabin is only for when your Hunters come to visit." Dionysus remarked, causing Artemis to glare. Dionysus stared at the arrow that was now pointed at his chest, Artemis holding the bow only a mere two feet away.

"She _will stay _in my cabin. She is my ward, oh _brother_." Artemis spat out the word brother, despising the fact that Dionysus was a fellow child of Zeus. Ignoring the nickname he had just given her, Artemis lowered her weapon and turned to Chiron. "Would you be willing to lead her there?"

"Of course," Chiron bowed before trotting a few feet away, waiting for Rome to follow.

"You're in good hands here," Artemis insisted while she sat her hand on Rome's shoulder, not completely comfortable with showing affection in front of others. "Apollo will keep me updated on your progress until I can visit."

"Thank you," Rome nodded in Artemis's direction before giving her a small smile, her eyes becoming somewhat glossy. Rome took in a big breath and followed in the direction Chiron had gone.

"See you later, Ronnie!" Dionysus called after Rome and turned back to look at a glowering Artemis. "She looks just like her mother." Dionysus stated, causing Artemis to sigh.

"I know… But she needs to find out on her own." Artemis responded as she hooked her bow around her chest.

**Rome**

"This is Artemis's cabin." Chiron held the door open and watched Rome walk inside, her eyes covering every inch of the room. Rome was trying her hardest to make herself comfortable with the room, but her eyes kept drifting back to the bow and arrow carved on the wall. Without any other words, Chiron left the cabin to allow the young huntress to adjust.

'_You'll be safe here, Rome.' _The man's voice told her as she ran her hand along the engravings on the wall. Each engraving told a different story of Artemis's many battles.

When Rome turned, she was shocked to find a bow lying on the top of a table. There had been no bow laying there before. Hesitantly, Rome walked over and lifted the weapon, running her hand along it. The bow was golden in color and, when Rome held it, felt right in her hands. Having never used the weapon before, Rome sat it back down. Rome was confused as to why it was sitting there, as there were no arrows around.

A note lay under the bow. She saw the small piece of parchment and took it into her hands, reading the script slowly – being thankful that one of the others had taught her to read.

_My gift to you, my dear Rome. I know that you will use it wisely.  
–A._

Rome tightly scrunched her eyebrows together. There were only three people she knew whose name started with an A: Artemis, Apollo, and Ava. Ava was out of the question, as she was another huntress who was thousands of miles away at this point. Artemis never called her 'my dear,' as she didn't like terms of endearment. Apollo did enjoy visiting Rome on occasion, but why would he be giving her a bow?

Putting all of her thoughts to the back of her mind, Rome sat the note back onto the table. She adjusted her stretched and torn tank top, only for it to fall loosely off of her shoulder – threatening to expose her bare, braless chest. Sighing, Rome found a nearby dresser and pulled the top drawer open. Clothes left over from the other hunters lay inside, causing a smile to breakout on Rome's face.

Within minutes, Rome was no longer wearing her worn tank top and cargo shorts. Instead of her typical getup, she was wearing a charcoal colored V-neck and matching black pants that were made of some type of spandex material. Testing the clothes, Rome started stretching to see the elasticity.

The sound of hooves on wood caused Rome to freeze in position. When she turned her head, Rome met the sight of a female satyr. Rome's leg was lifted vertically whilst stretching and the satyr was gawking at the position.

"How are you doing that?" The creature asked while twisting her head to the side and squinting her eyes. "I didn't even know something like that was possible."

"It comes with the territory of being a hunter," Rome answered wearily, watching the satyr with untrusting eyes. The huntress didn't know what to make of the creature; she had heard of many male satyrs, but never any that were female.

"Hi, I'm Melitta." The half-goat introduced herself and stuck her hand forward. "I'll be guiding you while you're with us at Camp Half-Blood." Rome dropped her leg and raised an eyebrow. Melitta was a few inches shorter than Rome, donned honey colored skin, and had wavy black hair that stopped below her shoulders, matching the dark fur of her satyr legs. Melitta's jade colored eyes watched as the huntress in front of her analyzed her being.

Rome took Melitta's hand, despite her lack of trust, and shook it gently. "My guide?" Rome questioned before Melitta pulled a pair of boots out from underneath of a bunk.

"Indeed, your guide. For starters, you need shoes." Melitta stated as she looked down at Rome's bare, dirt covered feet. "And a pedicure," Melitta added after she glanced at Rome's toenails.

Rome got her feet into the boots, zipped them up at the sides, and tried to walk. "They feel… unnatural." Rome explained as she clonked across the room.

"Because you've gone seventeen years without shoes," Melitta explained before she grinned, "Speaking of which, what is Artemis like?" Giving the satyr a look, Rome started for the door. "Where are you going?"

Rome turned back, halfway out the door, and smirked. "You're my guide, _guide _me."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3**

* * *

"When I said to guide me, I didn't mean to _this._" Rome growled out, her voice carrying out through the many sounds surrounding her. Melitta winced at Rome's tone before facing her with an innocent smile. Rome was still unsure of whether to trust Melitta or keep herself at a distance.

"I know that… But after all those years living in dirt, don't you feel like you _need_ this?" Melitta attempted to sway Rome's mind, only for the huntress to glare in response.

Melitta led Rome to Aphrodite's cabin only a few moments earlier. Now, against her own will, Rome was being pampered by the tons of teenage girls. Most of the items they used were unfamiliar to her: something that removed the ridges on her nails, a small metal item that clipped off the tips, and a rough bar that they kept using on her heels. With Rome still unsure of her trust, the current situation wasn't helping Melitta's case.

"I don't see how this is going to do anything-" Rome lent down to touch the bottoms of her feet, pausing when she felt that the roughness was gone. The feeling was foreign to her and, though she wouldn't admit to it, it felt nice. Callouses from years before had been completely removed from both her hands and feet. While feeling relieved, Rome also felt that soft hands made a person too fragile to be a hunter – leaving her in a small dilemma.

A blonde that was filing Rome's nails looked up, "We don't do this for just anyone, you know." She took out a small bottle and shook it, "Do you like red?" She asked, glancing up at her again. Rome's face contorted to an expression of confusion, ready to question why the girl wanted to know.

"Go with black," another girl spoke up from where she sat at Rome's feet. "She'll stand out through the trees if she has red nails."

"Gotcha," the blonde responded as she sat the bottle back down and picked up another.

Rome froze as she felt hands run through her wavy, somewhat knotted, hair. Without a second thought, she slapped the girl's hands away. "You're not _fixing _my hair," she narrowed her eyes and tugged her hair out of the girl's grip.

"I was just going to brush it," The girl scoffed, flipping her own hair over her shoulder.

"What else could you possibly do to me?" Rome whispered to herself while a red head pulled out a small tube that sparkled.

As the girl put the translucent gloss on Rome's large lips, the others gossiped around them. Melitta took the liberty of grabbing a nail file and fixing her own nails. Rome felt extremely out of place as they dolled her up. The most luxurious thing that Rome had ever done for herself was brush her hair out.

When they were finally done, around an hour or so later, the entire Aphrodite cabin squealed in joy. Rome's hair was brushed out to its normal length and fell in small waves, rather than the mess it had been. Her feet, though hidden in her boots, were now smooth and her toenails were painted black, same as her fingernails. Not much had been done to improve her appearance, aside from the lip gloss and mascara they used on her.

"One thing's for sure," The brunette started, "We didn't have to do much to make her look gorgeous." The others nodded in agreement while Rome brushed the comment off. The only compliments that she would accept would involve her hunting skills and not her beauty.

As Melitta and Rome walked off, the latter quickly wiped at her lips with the back of her hand, removing the sticky substance from her lips. "Never do that to me again," Rome spoke calmly, before she threw a glance at a grinning Melitta. Melitta had a certain twinkle in her eyes that caused Rome to be unsure of a possible friendship between the two. It was obvious that Melitta was trying hard to get Rome's acceptance; whether or not she would get it was a whole different situation.

"Mel!" A deeper male voice reached their ears through the countless amounts of demigods. Melitta turned to be pulled into a hug by another satyr. "So this is the new camper?" He asked as he looked at the back of Rome, her focus being on the training area. Melitta pulled away and looked to Rome.

"This is Rome," Melitta introduced, turning Rome's focus back onto her. Rome's eyes locked with the satyr's equally, if not darker, brown eyes. "Rome, this is Grover." Melitta offered a smile, weary of how Rome would react.

Melitta pushed her hair behind her pointed ears and cleared her throat; the awkwardness that she currently felt was definitely a first. Rome nodded in Grover's direction, acknowledging he was there.

"Welcome to camp," Grover's voice cracked before he cleared his throat, fearing the huntress that stood in front of him. Rome started off for the training area, leaving Melitta behind. "She's not very friendly, is she?"

"She's new, Grover." Melitta inhaled sharply, "She spent the first seventeen years of her life training to be a hunter. Emotions aren't exactly important to hunters." Melitta followed after Rome, her hooves digging into the fresh dirt below her.

"Are you sure?" Melitta heard a son of Athena ask Rome. Rome responded with a curt nod before he walked off, an unsure look upon his face.

Melitta sped up, "What are you sure about?" Rome tugged her bare feet out of the boots and offered them to Melitta to hold.

"I wanted a fight," Rome answered. Melitta sighed in relief and gave Rome a small smile.

"Oh, well we have a large amount of swords and-" Another teenager walked up, Melitta recognizing him as a son of Ares. He wasn't the largest in the area but Melitta still feared that Rome would come out severely injured. "You're joking, right?" Melitta laughed it off, hoping that Rome wasn't actually considering fighting him.

The son of Ares, his name unknown to either girl, offered Rome a sword. He gave her a questioning glance as she shook her head 'no', but shrugged the response off and sat the sword aside.

"Are you crazy?" Melitta hissed while stepping away. Rome stretched her arms and gave Melitta a genuine smile. "I'm guiding a lunatic," Melitta muttered to herself before she rubbed her temples with her free hand. When Melitta finally looked back to the two, Rome had motioned for the boy to come at her.

He went to strike while she avoided the blow by sliding down into the dirt. She playfully grinned while he looked frustrated, angry that he missed. Rome got back onto her feet and cracked her knuckles.

"Why don't you have a weapon?" He asked, attempting to toy with and momentarily distract her. He sliced through the air, nicking her shoulder. Rome hissed out in pain once she felt the blood start to rise; it felt like her arm was on fire. Melitta and the boy were in shock when Rome never reached to grab her shoulder. Instead, Rome's eyes hardened and she quickened her movements.

Rome dodged another blow aimed at her knee. She locked eyes with him, "I'm better with my hands."

As he moved to hit her again, this time near her thigh, Rome grabbed his free arm and kicked the sword from his hand. He freed himself from her grip and knocked her feet out from underneath of her. Rome's back had hit the ground hard, temporarily immobilizing her.

By this point, the other campers had stopped training to watch the fight. Her opponent stretched his hand and picked his sword back up. When he moved to stab Rome again, her eyes widened and she lurched upward, landing on the balls of her feet.

"What's the matter?" Rome heaved, catching her breath. "Afraid you'll lose without your sword?" Rome cackled nervously and he grew angry, dropping the sword to the ground. Rome had fought bigger than this guy but she had never fought a demigod before; it was starting to wear her out fast.

Rome howled in pain as he threw a punch at her side, hitting her rip cage hard. This time she didn't hesitate in reaching for her wound, clutching her shirt painfully. Seething with anger, her eyes appeared to lose all humor they had gained at the beginning of the fight. Rome threw a punch and he grabbed her arm, twisting her into a chokehold. Her opponent grinned as Rome gasped for breath, thinking he had finally won.

He was shocked when Rome slammed her elbow backward, shattering his nose on impact. She spun to face him, with a strong grip on the wrist that wasn't holding his nose, and knocked him to the ground. Rome twisted his wrist and held him down with her foot on his chest.

"Looks like you were right to want your sword," Rome taunted as she let him go. Blood seeped through his fingers as he cupped his nose. He motioned to her arm and she looked down to see blood staining the charcoal shirt. "I've had worse," She tore the bottom of her shirt, exposing her midriff, and proceeded to wrap the material around the wound. Melitta winced when she saw the purple bruise forming at Rome's side.

To show no ill will, Rome offered the camper her hand. He stood on his own, ignoring Rome's gesture, and wiped at his bloodied nose with the back of his hand.

"No hard feelings?" She asked hopefully, not wanting to make an enemy on her first day. He laughed and narrowed his eyes. It was obvious at that moment that he wasn't used to losing a fight, especially to a girl.

"As much as I want to keep this against you, not many can fight like that." He offered her his free hand, "It was a pleasure."

Rome took his hand and shook it with a firm grip, "If you ever want to spar, come find me." Rome turned back to Melitta and took her boots back. Melitta wasn't expecting the broad grin that Rome gave her, "I think that I'll like it here."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 4**

* * *

**Apollo**

Collective chatter from women erupted as Apollo waltzed past, each woman in absolute awe at his appearance. The whispers of the women fell on deaf ears as each group stared at him while he walked. The broad grin on his face proved that he acknowledged that these women were talking about him, but he remained silent as he went in search for three specific women. Knowing that the three would be near Olympus, as they never strayed far, Apollo searched through the New York streets.

"Have you not learned that we know when you're trying to find us?" A light voice broke through the crowd, informing Apollo that he had found his targets; or, more specifically, his targets had found him.

The group of three sat at a table outside of a café, each sipping a substance that looked to be coffee. Apollo took the last available seat and stared at them. To say that he was shocked by their appearances would be an overstatement more so than an understatement. Apollo was familiar with these women and their antics.

The Moirai had taken on the appearances of mere children, no older than thirteen. Each wore a uniform with an F engraved in the small silver crest. Clotho's hair was a dull black that was pulled back into a tight pony tail; Lachesis had red hair that was currently cut to a pixie cut; and Atropos stood out with her white, nearly silver, blonde hair that fell straight. Apollo would've questioned who they were had it not been for the matching sets of gray eyes; to those who noticed, it probably just looked as if the three were partially blind.

"Have _you _forgotten that you're the ones who've called upon me?" Apollo asked with a grin, enjoying the idea of these three spirits pretending to be children. "Tell me, if you will, why you three are children?"

"No matter the era, people put trust in children. Children are innocent and tend to be overlooked in society, especially this one." Clotho responded as her gray eyes narrowed onto Apollo's golden eyes. The look of disgust was noticeable when she spoke of today's society.

Atropos continued, "If you hadn't noticed, we three are getting overlooked each second another person passes." Apollo nodded in understanding: the three wanted to appear innocent. "Now to the reason we've called you here-" Atropos stopped speaking when Lachesis pulled a set of two strings out from the inside of her blazer. One was a golden thread, the other a maroon.

Apollo stared at the golden string, "Rome," he mumbled under his breath. When he locked eyes with Lachesis, a small nod was given as an answer.

"It's not her string that concerns us, but where her string goes that does..." Atropos stated before she cleared her throat. Lachesis pulled the string further out from her blazer, informing Apollo that it hadn't been cut yet, and revealing that the golden string intertwined with the maroon.

"Two strings intertwined to the point where we cannot pull them apart," Lachesis pointed out. "What concerns us is that we did not do this; we found them this way the night before last."

"This has only happened once before… many, many years ago." Clotho sipped her coffee-like substance and looked upon Apollo with concerned eyes, "The girl is to fall in love."

Apollo clasped his hands together in his lap before speaking again, "But she is one of my sister's hunters-"

"It is the inevitable, Apollo. These two are destined; there is no stopping what is to come." Lachesis interrupted with a frown. Apollo understood the situation but sighed anyway, proving his discomfort to the three fates.

"Who does the other string belong to?" He asked, unsure of what was going to happen or who he would see. Artemis would surely be disgusted once she hears of Rome's 'betrayal'. Apollo knew of Artemis's hatred toward women who would turn their backs to her and fall in love. What would happen to Rome? Surely there was some wiggle room, seeing as Artemis raised her.

Apollo looked down to be met with a picture that made him nearly choke on his own spit. Clotho smirked in response and pushed the picture closer. The blue eyes on the photo, shining with amusement, stared back at Apollo. Once he inhaled sharply, he looked back up to the three Fates.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

**Rome**

Two days had passed since Rome first arrived at Camp Half-Blood. To say that she was enjoying herself wasn't the complete truth; she felt uncomfortable and everything seemed foreign to her. She stood outside, her boots digging into the sand as she stared out at the deep body of water in front of her. The slice on her shoulder was already starting to heal, leaving behind a pink mark and assuring her that there would be a scar left behind. Most women would be upset with the skin imperfection, but Rome felt that scars were a trophy. The only thing that she hadn't enjoyed was the bruise along her ribs, despite that it was healing nicely, a yellowish tint glazing over where the purple had been. The bruise proved to be a painful hindrance when she was doing her daily tasks.

The time was midnight and she took in a shaky breath, glancing around her before making a final decision. There was no one within sight, most of the campers already being asleep. Rome lifted her feet from her boots and started to shed her shirt, leaving it lay in the nearby grass. When her clothing had been discarded, she stepped into the shallow water. She waded further into the water and allowed the water to cover her bare body.

At the time, bathing in this large body of water seemed easier than looking for a shower stall. The temperature of the water would bother most people, being comparable to below zero. With Rome, however, the water was no problem as she was used to bathing in cold water.

When Rome's feet couldn't touch the bottom, she swam under and pushed further out. She rose in the water and ran her hands through her dampened hair. The remains of the mascara slowly dripped onto her cheeks and she roughly rubbed at them, smearing the muck in the process.

A chill went up her spine as something ran past her ankle, tickling the side of her foot. Rome should've expected something different from this water, as this _was_ a camp for demigods. Her ankle was brushed again and she dove under, looking for the source of the movement. When her eyes were met with nothing but the black abyss beneath her, Rome swam to the surface once more.

The third time her ankle was brushed, she started swimming back toward land. The view was getting closer and she nearly sighed in sweet relief. Before her feet could come into contact with the land below the water, her ankle was forcefully yanked further backward and she was pulled under. Rome held her breath and looked down to see a thick piece of seaweed wrapped around her ankle, pulling her further down to the bottom of the water.

Rome was attempting to push herself away and break free but soon became lightheaded due to the depths of the water. Once realizing the panic of the situation, she tried yanking the seaweed with her hands. When it refused to budge, Rome pushed her arms downward – in hopes of escaping.

Her lungs started to burn from the lack of oxygen and she felt like screaming, though she knew no one could hear her. Bubbles started to release from her nose as she exhaled the breath she had been holding. Rome looked upward to see the reflection of the moon hitting the water, though the top seemed miles away.

She felt weak and defenseless against a small piece of _seaweed_. Rome felt like slapping herself because of the silliness of the situation. Two days prior to this moment, she had beaten a demigod nearly three times her size. Today, she was drowning in an ocean.

'_Hold on,' _the caring male voice in her head told her. Rome didn't want to give up but the lack of oxygen was preventing her from thinking straight. Things started to blur, the reflection of the moon becoming hazy.

She could feel as the water around her swayed, a blur of blue moving past her and down to the sea life that had trapped her. She was freed from the seaweed and her savior turned to look at her, only to be met with closed eyes. Rome was quickly starting to lose consciousness but she could feel as her body was tugged away from the bottom.

Rome's savior led them to the nearby dock, pushing her onto it before they climbed upon it themself. Rome quickly turned to the side and coughed up the water she had accidentally inhaled. A wet shirt was thrown to her lap. Without any hesitation, Rome slid into the shirt and looked to her savior. Her brown eyes met with a light shade of blue.

The boy who saved her had given her his shirt to cover her naked body, leaving his pale skin to deal with the cold. Rome glanced over his features, ending at his soaked brown, nearly black, hair. He was taking her in as well, not knowing who this odd girl was.

"How did you know to look for me?" Rome's voice cracked when she asked him. She started to curl her legs to her chest, feeling the cold of the night. Rome stopped once she realized that the shirt didn't cover enough of her, so she settled with curling her legs to the side. Her cheeks, though hidden in the night, were sporting a bright maroon shade. It burned to inhale, whether it was through her nose or mouth, and her lungs were working to fix the problem. Rome coughed into her hand, trying to push out the water sitting inside her lungs.

"I… I could sense it," he answered while he watched her movements.

Rome looked over his face and locked eyes with him once more. "Thank you," she nearly whispered. He nodded as if to say that she was welcome but never actually verbalized it.

There was an awkward silence, neither knowing what to say next. Rome started to shiver and pulled her arms around her chest. The boy stared down into the water, holding a dagger in his hand. The moon cast its bright reflection onto the small blade, causing it to become visible to Rome. It had to have been how he had released her from the seaweed.

"I'm Rome," Rome told him once she cleared her throat. He looked up to her and offered her a smile.

"My name's Percy."


End file.
